Have A Listen to HeartMatters on Point A to B Transitions Blog Talk Radio
HeartMatters on Point A to Point B Transition blog talk radio: I had a very pleasant chat with Catherine Morgan on her blog talk radio show, Point A to Point B Transitions. We discussed the real-life joys and challenges I have experienced during my 2-year transition from a long time hospital-based Registered Nurse employee to that of an entrepreneur. In addition, Catherine asked relevant questions about the HeartMatters program, affording me the opportunity to share my passionate belief that all of us desire to feel well, and that radiant health becomes a reality when we commit to pleasant and subtle small-step behavior changes.
Gorgeous stuffed squash dinner warms a cold winter’s night
Look at this magnificent creation! The idea for this meal came from a recipe I saw recently in a Vegetarian Times mag; I was immediately attracted to the beautiful look of this dish, and the seasonal flare it would add to an early winter dinner in November. I departed from the original recipe at that point, mostly because we lost power during a snow storm, rendering the complicated stuffing a bit lofty for stove top cooking. Instead, I threw together a “chili” that was reminiscent of one on my long-time favorites from the original Moosewood cookbook. We enjoyed the chili by firelight the other night, during the power outage. The squash would have to wait… Tonight, I popped the leftover chili into the squash, baked it, and Voila! A masterpiece meal. Here’s the loose “recipe”…
Chili Ingredients
- 1 cup bulgar wheat
- 2 cups tomato juice or canned tomato puree
- onion
- garlic
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 cups frozen corn
- red and yellow peppers
- 15-ounce can of kidney or great northern beans
Chili Preparation
- Bring tomato juice or puree to a gentle boil.
- Add bulgar, stirring it well, until a gentle boil returns, cover the pot, turn to simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the flame and let the bulgar sit for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, saute the onion for several minutes, add the peppers and cook for several more minutes until the peppers are soft.
- Add the carrots and celery, and cook on a low flame for a few moments.
- Add the chopped garlic, flavor the saute with salt and pepper, and take the saute off the stove. Keep the carrots and celery al dente!
- Put the saute into a big pot, add the beans including the liquid in the can, add the corn, and gently heat.
- Add the bulgar, stirring it all together.
- Spice with cumin, cayenne, more pepper, and perhaps a tad of red wine.
Squash prep
- Wash the squash.
- Slice a bit off the bottom so the squash will sit evenly on a cooking sheet. Slice off the top, keeping the stem intact.
- Scoop out the seeds and fiber strings.
- Rub the outside skin and the inside rim with olive oil.
To finish
- Scoop the chili into the squash.
- Place the lid on top for a tight fit.
- On a cookie tray, placed in a pre-heated 350 oven for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or until the squash is soft to a fork poke.
11/22/10, Blog Talk Radio showlot
I’ll be sharing my story of how and why I transitioned to a health management model of health care from the hospital-based disease management model, in which I spent 30 years as a Registered Nurse. I am looking forward to chatting with Catherine Morgan on her Point A to Point B Transitions blog talk radio show on Monday, 11/22/10 at 8:30 AM. You can listen live or click on the link after the show to hear the recording.
5 Tips for Managing the Holiday Goodie(s) Temptation
1. Accept the fact that in your workplace and friends’ homes, on the counter tops at local markets, and just about everywhere, there will be bowls of candy, plates of cookies and fudge, and a plethora of pot-luck celebrations. It’s not about avoiding these temptations; it’s about creating a success plan that combines pleasure with honoring your health goals and well-being intentions. Give yourself permission to celebrate the season, and know that you can bring balance to your decision-making.
2. Savor the Flavor! I am especially fond of this mindful approach to holiday splurges. It’s simple: there’s a plate of homemade fudge at your office reception desk. They are made-from-scratch and chock-full of wholesome ingredients. These cubes of sweetness are likely cut into small squares because they are so rich, but if not, you can make your first mindful decision to cut a tablespoon-size piece. Take it back to your desk or to the break room. Cut it into 10 tiny pieces. Tiny. Admire the bounty of delight in front of you. Lean down to inhale the heavenly aroma. Take the first small piece and place it on your tongue, allowing it to begin to melt. You can see where I’m going with this—you are making the piece of fudge into a sensuous sensory experience, you are inviting your brain to participate by stimulating your senses: Sight, look at ALL those tiny pieces of fudge! Smell, rich, chocolate-y, nutty; Taste, as your tongue comes alive; Sound, as you exclaim your delight! Your brain will be infused with pleasure! Wait 5 minutes to repeat the sensory experience again. And again. And again, until over the course of an hour or more, you have fully engaged in the mindful enjoyment of eating a small piece of fudge. NOTE: imagine the contrast of grabbing a few pieces of fudge as you walk by the plate and take them back to your desk. As your emails load, you pop the entire first piece in your mouth, mildly aware of how good it tastes, prompting you to gobble the second piece, and possibly the third. Within 5 minutes, you’ve eaten three chunks of fudge, your brain has not been invited to the party, diminishing the experience of absolute sensory pleasure, and leaving room for more…and more. See the difference?
3. Visualize your success. Before you go to a party, or walk up the stairs to your office, or go to the salon to have your hair cut, see yourself as relaxed and confident. Know your intention: to enjoy yourself while staying true to your health and well-being commitments. A positive affirmation comes in handy here; “I am looking forward to mindfully savoring the foods and treats that I choose well”, or “I will eat and enjoy the veggies and salads that are on the table, then I will decide on what treats to savor.”
4. Express gratitude, for the abundance of food that is available to you, and more importantly, express thanks to yourself for the savoring of the foods you have mindfully chosen. Say to yourself, “Thank you for taking time to eat that fudge slowly; I like your intention to take care during the holidays”, or even, “Hey, way to go!”. Every time your brain receives positive affirmation for a behavior, you are reinforcing the happy experience, and are more likely to choose that behavior again!
5. Move your body regularly—walk, pedal, swim, skate, whatever is appealing and available to you. Ramping up your metabolism throughout the year is beneficial, and during the holiday season you will find it even more so. When you exercise regularly, having the occasional mindful splurge will not have as big of an impact as it could if your schedule doesn’t include routine physical activity.
Happy Holidays!
It is with sincere gratitude…
“It was with sincere gratitude that I had the opportunity to meet and work with Robin Mallery—it was perfect timing for me in my life. With Robin coaching me, I was able to cultivate new life skills that I implement daily. She is kind, attentive, informative and extremely intuitive. I recommend Robin highly. Thanks again Robin!”
–F.G., Grass Valley
Sharing the joy and pleasure of eating well…
“The Holiday Survival Cooking and Eating Class exceeded my expectations. It was so enjoyable to learn new ideas for healthy snacks and meals, taste the delicious treats we created and leave with an inspired hope that this will be my healthiest holiday season yet! I am impressed with the knowledge and care that Robin (and Wendy from In the Kitchen) both possess and I look forward to taking more classes in the future. Thanks again!” –Rose M.
“What a wonderful, yummy class! Not only did we participate in creating several easy-to-make, delicious, nourishing dishes for the holidays and every day, we also learned strategies for surviving and enjoying the upcoming holiday season. Both Robin & Wendy were delightful and imparted their cooking and eating knowledge with love, humor, and enthusiasm. I highly recommend their classes to anyone who is interested in developing a better way to look at food, using thoughtfulness with mindfulness to learn some very valuable strategies for eating any time of the year!” –CAM
“I found the class delightful with great ideas for the holidays. In the Kitchen is a warm and welcoming place and you and Wendy were great teaching collaborators. Good new recipes. I appreciate your healthy eating information. I recommend this class to anyone wanting to enjoy the holidays without stressing over food. Actually, the information isn’t just for the holidays. I want to stay healthy all year and eat well.” –Pat B.
“I’ve participated in several classes at In the Kitchen, enjoyed them all immensely, but it is always a special treat when Wendy teaches a class. The recipes offered in The Holiday Survival class were easy to make and so delicious. And what a plus to have Robin co-teach the The Holiday Survival class with Wendy. Thank you, Robin, for all your great information on healthy eating, which was delivered so professionally, dovetailing beautifully into Wendy’s presentation. Hope you two team up again for more classes of scrumptious, healthy recipes. What a fun evening!!” –Carol B.
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I love this positive feedback! How gratifying it is to touch the lives of others in a meaningful way…and to be able to do so around a topic that is so dear to me, is just the icing on the cake (right—pun intended!).
Wendy Van Wagner and I will continue to offer seasonal cooking classes in addition to the occasional specialty class…stay tuned!
Butternut Squash with Lemony Quinoa
Talk about a marvelous new dish to lighten up the traditionally heavy Thanksgiving meal!
Ingredients
- 10 ounces butternut squash (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup quinoa
- ¼ cup chopped shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel and 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and strings. Peel and cut into ½-inch cubes and toss with the 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Heat a deep, non-stick pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots soften slightly.
- Add the quinoa and toast it until it begins to exude a toasty aroma.
- Add the squash along with the thyme and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon peel and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice if needed.
- Serve with toasted pine nuts and chives sprinkled on top.
This dish is very intriguing to the palette; the lemon flavor in the vegetable broth is heavenly, the crunch of the quinoa is unsurpassed in its texture, and the roasted Bnut squash provides a solidity to the dish that balances the lightness of the lemony flavor… give it a try! We made this recipe at the last Eat To Your Heart’s Content cooking class, co-taught by me and Wendy Van Wagner of In the Kitchen. This is Wendy’s recipe and has endless possibilities for variations–have fun with it!